Ferrari raced on ultrasofts while Red Bull’s best times came on supersofts. Hamilton has won twice in Melbourne, in 2008 and 2015, among his 62 wins in 208 GPs.

He already holds the record for most pole positions with 72, ahead of Schumacher’s 68. It was yet another frustrating session for Fernando Alonso in his McLaren. He only got on the track after a long hold in the pits with an exhaust problem.

But the Spaniard eventually finished eighth quickest, just behind Romain Grosjean in a Haas.

Alonso has already forecast this weekend’s Australian GP will be the low point of McLaren’s 2018 season as they grapple with the transition to their new Renault engines.

McLaren’s off-season testing programme was hit by a series of mechanical issues. (With PTI inputs).